HHS LEANING ON COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS FOR ACA

Monday, August 19, 2013 10:04 AM

In about six weeks, Americans will have a new kind of open enrollment to consider (Wall Street Journal). StartingOct. 1, people without health insurance can sign up for standardized coverage through new health-insurance marketplaces run either by their state, the federal government or a combination of the two—the centerpiece of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The coverage will take effectJan. 1. And people with incomes between 100% and 400% of the federal poverty level—about $23,500 to $94,000 for a family of four—can receive financial help on a sliding scale to offset the costs. These marketplaces, also known as exchanges, will make shopping for health insurance easier than it is today, says Sarah Dash, a research fellow at Georgetown University who has studied the new marketplaces. "Consumers are going to get a much more transparent, apples-to-apples shopping experience." If you have affordable insurance through an employer, or if you have coverage through a government program such as Medicare or Medicaid, you won't be affected by the exchanges. Exchange shoppers will fill out a single insurance application, which will be used to "find out if they can get a tax credit on their premium, help with cost-sharing or if they're eligible for Medicaid in their state," Ms. Dash says. You can calculate your potential premium assistance with an online tool from the Kaiserhttp://kff.org/interactive/subsidy-calculator/Family Foundation, which conducts health-care research. This first open-enrollment period will last six months, from Oct. 1, 2013 to March 31, 2014. It generally takes two weeks for a policy to go into effect after enrolling, so you'll need to sign up byDec. 15to get coverage startingJan. 1. Many state call centers already are running. Visit Healthcare.gov or call1-800-318-2596for more information.